Since its official launch in fall 2024, the .music top-level domain has experienced a noticeable trend: passive registrations are outpacing active usage.
According to data from ntldstats.com, only around 7,500 .music domains have been actively used or unlocked so far. However, ICANN’s January 2025 reports paint a broader picture, showing that over 30,000 .music domains have already been registered.
This gap is largely due to defensive registrations — domain names secured without the intention of immediate use. Despite this, DotMusic Limited CEO Constantine Roussos highlights the registry’s success:
“We have more registrations than any community TLD and it is not even close.”
Still, the dominance of passive holdings is surprising. The .music domain is restricted to verified members of the global music community. Registrants must activate their domain through the id.music identity service before it can be put to use.
While this system offers strong protection for digital identities and brand control, it also appears to delay the active presence of .music on the web.
Whether domain owners will eventually unlock and use their registrations remains to be seen. For now, .music shows promise — but it’s a promise waiting to be fulfilled.
News Source:domain-recht，This article does not represent our position.
